Spring 2018: Popovic – who graduated in May of 2018 – earned 2018 Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention…she completed her Cal career with a 120-24 singles record and a 57-35 doubles record and wound up ranked 116th in the last Oracle ITA singles poll of the 2017-18 season.
Fall 2017: The returning singles All-American was ranked fifth in the Oracle ITA preseason poll…she played an abbreviated singles schedule in the fall, going 1-2, including beating Florida’s eighth-ranked Anna Danilina, 6-4, 7-6(4), in the round of 32 at the Riviera ITA All-American Championships...Popovic was ranked 45th in the last Oracle ITA poll of 2017…teamed with Olivia Hauger to earn a No. 11 preseason doubles ranking and post an 8-2 doubles record…the pair finished as runner-up at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships, reached the round of 16 at the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships and won the top-flight title at the Cal Fall Invitational…Popovic and Hauger were ranked 39th in the last doubles poll of the fall.
Spring 2017: Competed in the NCAA Singles Championship, reaching the round of 16, and claimed the first All-America honors of her career to cap an amazing season…finished with season records of 40-6 in singles and 26-8 in doubles…also earned a berth on the All-Pac-12 First Team and Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention…a 9-16 seed in NCAA singles, the 10th-ranked Popovic beat Oklahoma State’s 56th-ranked Katarina Adamovic, 6-4, 6-0, in the round of 64 and South Carolina’s 49th-ranked Ingrid Gamarra Martins, 6-0, 6-3, in the round of 32 before falling to North Carolina’s 18th-ranked Sara Daavettila, 3-6, 6-4, 6-1, in the round of 16…posted a 10-match winning streak in singles from March 17-April 29, losing just one set…finished the season with a No. 15 singles ranking and with Olivia Hauger claimed a final doubles ranking of 46th…Popovic and Hauger compiled a 25-7 doubles record, including a 14-4 court-two mark…the duo – ranked 55th at the time – won twice in the NCAA team tournament, beating San Jose State’s Gaelle Rey and Marine Dans, 6-1, in the round of 64 and LSU’s Jade Lewis and Becca Weissmann, 6-3, in the round of 32 to clinch the doubles point against the Tigers…the pair clinched the point vs. Georgia Tech with a 6-3 win over Kenya Jones and Paige Hourigan in Cal’s 4-0 win over the Yellow Jackets in the ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championship first round.
Fall 2016: Entered the fall with a singles ranking of No. 90 in the country…won 21 straight matches in the fall, including Cal Nike Fall Invitational, SMC Fall Invite and ITA Northwest Regional Championships tournament wins…Popovic defeated Arizona State’s 87th-ranked Kassidy Jump, 6-1, 6-2, in the final of the Cal Nike Invitational, Stanford’s Emma Higuchi, 6-0, 6-4, in the final of the SMC Fall Invite, and Higuchi 6-2, 6-2 in the final of the 2016 Northwest Regionals…Popovic automatically qualified for the USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships by winning regionals…at indoors, Popovic defeated South Carolina’s 55th-ranked Ingrid Gamarra Martins, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 in the round of 32, before falling to top seeded/third ranked Francesca Di Lorenzo of Ohio State, 6-0, 6-4…Popovic finished the fall with a 21-1 singles record…partnered with Olivia Hauger for the majority of the fall…the duo won the Northwest Regional doubles championship, beating teammates and third-ranked Manasse/Starr, 6-1, 5-7, 10-8, in the semifinals, and the Stanford duo of Kimberly Yee and Caroline Lampl 6-2, 6-7(5), 10-8, in the final, giving the Bears automatic qualification into the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships…at indoors, Popovic and Hauger reached the round of 16 before falling to the No. 12 team of Gabriela Knutson and Valeria Salazar of Syracuse, 6-3, 6-3.
Spring 2016: Won the most singles matches for Cal during the 2015-16 season, posting a 37-6 record that included a 23-0 mark during dual matches…Popovic won all five of her singles matches in straight sets during Cal’s run to the NCAA team tournament semifinals…also posted a 3-10 overall doubles record…one of her biggest singles wins was in Cal’s 4-0 win over Texas Tech in the NCAA round of 16, as Popovic beat Katelyn Jackson, 6-2, 6-0, to clinch the overall victory…was a key figure in Cal’s championship run at the ITA National Women’s Team Indoor Championship, earning a berth on the all-tournament team…Popovic won three of her four singles matches at national indoors, with her first one, against Wisconsin’s Lauren Burich, going unfinished after Cal clinched the win over the host Badgers, 4-0…also in Madison, Popovic beat Taylor Wingo, 6-0, 6-1, in Cal’s 4-1 quarterfinal win over Virginia; Olivia Sneed, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3, in the Golden Bears’ 4-3 semifinal triumph over Ohio State; and Chloe Oullett-Pizer, 6-1, 6-3, in Cal’s 4-3 win over North Carolina in the final…posted a 22-singles match unbeaten streak, from Nov. 15 to April 22, when teammate and eventual champion Olivia Hauger defeated Popovic, 6-2, 6-0, in the quarterfinals of the Pac-12 singles invitational tournament.
Fall 2015: Reached the doubles quarterfinals of the Battle in the Bay Classic (with Lyann Hoang) and of the Cal Nike Fall Invitational (with Klara Fabikova) and to the round of 32 of the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships (with Hoang)…in singles, Popovic reached the semifinals of the top flight in the Cal Nike Fall Invitational, the quarterfinals at the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships and of the Battle in the Bay Classic, and the round of 16 in the ASU Thunderbird Invitational.
Spring 2015: With a 42-10 singles record, Popovic led Cal in singles victories in her first year as a Bear…also finished with a 20-16 doubles mark…her singles record included an 18-6 dual-match mark, a 13-4 record at court five and a 24-4 tournament record…Popovic won her last singles match – 6-1, 6-0 over Lindsey Kostas on court six – in Cal’s 4-3 upset loss to Stanford in the NCAA team tournament round of 16…she reached the Pac-12 singles invitational round of 16…unranked in the fall, Popovic earned a ranking of No. 30 in the ITA’s first spring poll…she ranked 103rd in the penultimate singles poll…in doubles, Popovic has a 12-5 record (8-3 in duals and at court three) with Lynn Chi…the pair reached the Pac-12 doubles invitational quarterfinals…Popovic and Chi won their doubles match in the NCAA round of 16 loss to Stanford, beating Kostas and Krista Hardebeck, 8-1, on court three…earned her first Pac-12 Player of the Week honor.
Fall 2014: Won her first college singles match, beating Sacramento State’s Olivia Boija, 6-1, 6-1, in the Cal Nike Fall Invitational round of 32…won five times – including a notable win over third-seeded and 16th-ranked teammate Zsofi Susanyi, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3, in the quarterfinals – to reach the semifinals of the USTA/ITA Northwest Regional Championships…Popovic lost to Stanford’s second-seeded and 17th-ranked Carol Zhao, 7-6(1), 5-7, 6-1, in the regional semis…also reached the singles semifinals of the Saint Mary’s Fall Invitational and the singles final of the ASU Thunderbird Invitational…Popovic defeated Arizona State’s second-seeded and 42nd-ranked Stephanie Vlad, 7-6(4), 5-7, 6-2, in the quarterfinals and then beat Michigan’s fourth-seeded and 77th-ranked Sarah Lee, 2-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the semifinals, before falling to Fresno State’s third-seeded and 53rd-ranked Sophie Watts, 6-2, 6-2, in the final…won her first doubles match as a collegian, teaming up with Klara Fabikova to beat Cal Poly’s Dane Joubert/Hannah Stone, 8-4, in the Cal Nike Fall Invitational round of 16...the two fell to teammates Zsofi Susanyi/Lynn Chi in the semifinals, 6-3, 6-2…paired up with Chi to advance to the regional doubles quarterfinals and with Lyann Hoang to get to the Saint Mary’s Fall Invitational doubles quarterfinals.
Personal/Previous: Business administration major…won the singles title at the 2011 $10,000 Bol tournament…captured doubles titles at the $10,000 Vinkovci tournament in 2011 and $10,000 Brcko tournament in 2012… parents are Mirko and Bozena Popovic… hobbies include playing the guitar…born in Zagreb, Croatia.
